Nashville Mayor Megan Barry announces her resignation at a news conference in the mayor's conference room at the Metro Courthouse on March 6, 2018. Earlier, Barry pleaded guilty to felony theft of property over $10,000 related to her affair with former police bodyguard Sgt. Rob Forrest.(Photo: Larry McCormack / The Tennessean)Buy Photo

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David Plazas is The Tennessean's opinion and engagement director and an editorial board member.

Nashville Mayor Megan Barry announces her resignation at a news conference in the mayor's conference room at the Metro Courthouse on March 6, 2018. Earlier, Barry pleaded guilty to felony theft of property over $10,000 related to her affair with former police bodyguard Sgt. Rob Forrest.(Photo: Larry McCormack / The Tennessean)

The Tennessean's editorial board came to the conclusion in this Feb. 28 editorial — nearly a month after Barry announced her affair — that she should step down because her conduct had violated the very ethics executive order she enacted.

"We expected better from Barry. Sadly, the social media reaction toward the affair has been cruel with sexist and disgusting memes, comments and tweets leveled against the mayor. These comments do not reflect the values of civility. Barry should be judged for her performance as a leader. Period. On that measure, she has failed and she must step down for the good of the city. It is time for Mayor Megan Barry to resign."

Note to readers: I write editorials on behalf of and in collaboration with the editorial board, whose members are Editor Michael A. Anastasi, Maria De Varenne and me.

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The first editorial that was published after the affair announcement came out on Feb. 4. At that time, the editorial board fell short of calling for Barry's resignation, but we rebuked her for the damage the scandal would cause the city.

"Megan Barry has debased her leadership position, acting selfishly and deceitfully for nearly two years in a secret affair with her head of security. She shocked and angered the community. She tore apart two families. This would not be any of our business if she were an ordinary citizen."

People take selfies with Kid Rock as he rides in the Leiper's Fork Christmas Parade on Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018.(Photo: Shelley Mays/The Tennessean )

In this Dec. 5 guest column, Grace King, Tennessee state manager for Red Nation Rising Tennessee, took issue with a personal column I wrote calling for entertainer Kid Rock to step aside as Nashville Christmas Parade grand marshal because he called one of his critics the b-word.

"Until now, it was just a Christmas parade. You come, you see, you laugh and smile, you go home. But when the mayor, with the backing from The Tennessean’s opinion editor who has led the Civility Tennessee campaign, turns it into an event of political grandstanding of embarrassing proportions, it takes on a whole new connotation. That’s so not Nashville."

Although Nashville school board member Will Pinkston wrote this guest column in 2017, it was also one of the best read opinion articles of 2018. A frequent charter school critic, Pinkston took aim at charter operators in Nashville.

"It was just a matter of time before the wheels came off Nashville's charter school industry ... it's finally happening. Advocates for charters — publicly funded private schools — have long argued they’re the best approach for improving K-12 public education. But national research shows, and now a series of new local developments reinforces, that charters are just a collective ruse pushed by special interests trying to privatize our school system."

After the Feb. 4 editorial, Barry agreed to write a guest column in response. She asked for forgiveness from residents in this guest column, which was published on Feb. 12.

"I never thought this job would be easy, and I have no illusions about the fact that it has just become a lot harder. In the near term, my work is complicated by the various inquiries under way, and I welcome their scrutiny. I meant every word when I pledged full transparency and cooperation, and my staff and I are following through on that. ... If you’ll have me, people of Nashville, I’d like the chance to work my heart out to earn back your trust, and I plan to do that the old-fashioned way: with honesty and humility and hard work so that we can continue with the challenging and wonderful work of this city we love."

Katie Crowley yells during a campaign event for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Marsha Blackburn on Oct. 28, 2018, in Nashville.(Photo: Wade Payne / For The Tennessean)

Katie Cowley was at the Oct. 28 Nashville rally for then-Senate candidate Marsha Blackburn where protesters interrupted her and were escorted out of the event. Cowley, a resident of Ooltewah, explained in this Nov. 11 guest column why she disrupted the rally.

"I am the 'woman who interrupted' at the Oct. 28 Marsha Blackburn rally at CabaRay in Nashville. Yes, I interrupted during her moment of silence, saying that 'Marsha Blackburn is a white supremacist.' I interrupted because as a registered nurse, mom of five, wife of one of those first responders who must see, process and live with the incidents of violence that she and extremists like her are inciting. I can’t stay silent any longer."

Nashville's May 1 transit referendum was expensive and emotional. The Tennessean published multiple opinion columns on the issue leading up to the vote. This March 24 guest column on the proposal resonated with readers more than other transit-related opinions and was authored by five Vanderbilt University faculty members who advocated for the proposal. The referendum failed overwhelmingly.

"We are confident that the plan can reduce congestion and, what’s more, provide multiple convenient, affordable transportation options for everyone who needs them. Expanding the system’s total capacity with light rail corridors will improve the quality of life for current and future residents who desire development that’s also pedestrian-oriented, not auto-centric. It is simply unfeasible to expand existing roads, and it is unrealistic to assume that autonomous vehicles will alleviate congestion any time soon. In fact, many researchers suggest just the opposite."

Cyntoia Brown, the Nashville woman sentenced to life in prison at age 16 for the murder of a stranger who picked her up at a fast-food restaurant, speaks at her clemency hearing May 23, 2018, at the Tennessee Prison for Women in Nashville. It was her first bid for freedom before a parole board since the 2004 crime.(Photo: Lacy Atkins / The Tennessean)

Gov. Bill Haslam is weighing whether he will grant clemency to Cyntoia Brown, the woman who, when she was 16, killed a man while they were in bed together. Brown said she was a victim of sex trafficking, and her cause has received attention and support from celebrities and activists. I wrote this personal column on Dec. 12, nearly a year after Haslam agreed to exonerate Lawrence McKinney, and mentioned his case as a reason why the governor should intervene in Brown's case.

"It is a fair thing to expect a state governor to consider cases equitably and fairly, independent of any capricious tendencies or public pressure. Haslam showed his capacity for compassion and fairness when he granted an exoneration to Lawrence McKinney a year ago this month, allowing a man who had been wrongly imprisoned for three decades to be compensated by the state. That was a just act. Granting Cyntoia Brown clemency will be equally just."

Republican state Sen. Steve Dickerson of Nashville has proposed a "red flag" law for Tennessee that would allow, with a court order, for someone to be temporarily relieved of their firearms if they are deemed to be a danger to themselves or others.

"Red flag laws empower us to be proactive in preventing gun violence while containing robust due process protections to ensure a person’s access to guns is limited only when a court finds there is clear and convincing evidence these individuals present a risk to themselves or others. Since the Parkland shooting, eight states have passed new red flag laws, all with bipartisan support. Half of these bills have been signed by a Republican governor. This is exactly the type of bipartisan, common-sense gun violence prevention policy we need in Tennessee, which is why I will introduce a red flag bill when the Tennessee General Assembly reconvenes next session."

Vanderbilt University economics professor Malcolm Getz, unlike his other colleagues, was a very vocal critic of the Nashville transit plan. He argued that falling demand for transit in Nashville was a compelling reason to nix this particular plan. In addition, he wrote in this March 24 guest column that commuters were already preferring ride-sharing over mass transit.

"A $5 billion-plus transit program will not reduce traffic congestion. Traffic will expand to replace any travelers who shift to transit. In contrast, express lanes provide congestion-free travel, increasing total flow. In Atlanta, Denver and Houston, buses in express lanes move faster than trains and at lower expense. Cars and vans move at speed as well and pay for most of the cost of the lanes. With expanded bus service, self-driving car services, and express lanes, Nashvillians of all income levels will avoid a sales tax increase while enjoying higher levels of mobility."

David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee and an editorial board member of The Tennessean. Call him at 615-259-8063, email him at dplazas@tennessean.com or tweet to him at @davidplazas.